Life and Death
by LoNe StAr in an OcEaN SkY
Summary: What if you found something that wasn't meant to be? What if what you found had something that should never have been? What if you find yourself drawn to it anyway? Would you make the right choice? Would you want to? The most unlikely five must choose!
1. Default Chapter

Oh wow! I just had the coolest idea for a fanfic! Ok, this will be a gw/sm crossover and I'll be using some details from some books I read by Garth Nix (Sabriel, Lirael) Ok, tell me what you think of it! (And If I spell something wrong...I'm working from memory until I get my books back *COUGH COUGH* Jess!!! *COUGH COUGH*)  
  
Life and Death   
Prologue: The Beginning  
  
  
  
  
It began a long, long time ago...before the colonies and mobile suits. Before technology, before space. Before the humans of the world lost their inner power and forgot what it meant to love the Earth. It was a time when everything was green and gold and the rulers of the universe had not yet been forgotten...  
  
The seven queens of the sea lived wise and fair. The keepers of the sun and moon were generous and kind to the humans that were their children...still learning. And the queen of the Wood, who controlled the very roots of the Earth, melted into the dust and left behind two small children as her successors.   
  
For these small children, seven sisters were called upon to be their protectors and to guard the gates of world of the living and the world of the dead. Even to the Ninth Precinct they must watch and defend.  
  
They were the Sister Abhorsens. With voices that rang clear as bells, which was the center of their power.  
  
The youngest, Ranna, with pale, moon colored skin, star blue eyes and short, cropped silver white hair made her the gentlest of the sisters and the most willing to forgive. Ranna, the Sleep bringer, whose soft, high voice brought peace and darkness.  
  
The second was Kibeth. Calm and playful, her light skin, neck-length blonde hair, and blue-green eyes that sparkled made her known as mischievous and elfin. The Walker, Kibeth's slightly lower song could make anyone walk to her will.  
  
After, was Moserael. With light tan skin, shoulder length, light brown hair and ruby-jade eyes, she was a skilled and powerful sister. The Waker, Moserael's warm voice had the power to wake the dead in the world of the living.  
  
Next was Dyrinn, the fourth sister. Her tanned skin, long, auburn hair, and chocolate colored eyes made her a helpful and strong warrior. The Speaker, her rich, melodious voice gave the dead the power of speech but could silence a tongue that spoke too freely.  
  
The fifth sister was Belgaere. Her dark, mahogany hair that fell low to her back, golden-brown eyes and gold colored skin had a charming affect on many. The Thinker, her mellow voice gave her power over memories.  
  
Next was Saraneth, the second oldest of the Seven. Her black-brown hair, dark skin and shadowy granite eyes gave her a wise, mysterious air and no one doubted her power. The Binder, her deep, strong voice gave her power to bind those who heard her song to her will.  
  
And finally there was Astarael, the oldest and wisest of all the Seven. It was said that she walked the waters of the Ninth Precinct of Death before joining her sisters. Some believed that she knew what lay beyond the last gate of Death. With long, long black hair, dark gold skin, and somber black eyes, she was easily the most powerful of the Seven. The Sorrowful, the sound of her deep, low song would throw all who heard it deep into death, beyond reach of even the strongest spells...however, it would also cast Astarael deep into death as well...and so...it was said she never sang....  
  
When the queen of the wood had gone, they were given the children to raise. The two little girls were quiet and strong but were often separated because of the training each took part in. The Seven guarded and protected the world from those who would use power to bring the dead into the world of the living. They trained the children well and became a part of the royal household when the girls were older.  
  
However...change was imminent. The humans of the Earth became greedy and uncontrollable. Their thirst for power and place drove them to death and destruction. The two children, raised in the Wood became aware of the increasing hatred. Day by day the humans lost their inner power and became hungry for more. More and more evil crossed into the World of the Living and the Seven were constantly working to help the Dead cross the Ninth Precinct and Beyond. Spirits of the Wood screamed and they were forgotten and destroyed. The two girls, now young women were afraid and knew no way to help their home...no spell could stop the pain.  
  
Soon the humans of the world thought of the Seven as a threat, evil monsters that were the cause of this pain. The Wood was burned almost to the ground and six of the sisters were slain. Overcome by grief, Astarael, the remaining sister crossed into Death to find her sisters. When she finally found them, she took their voices...their power and locked them into two staffs along with the powers of the Earth. Upon returning from death she used the power of Ranna to put the two women whom she had helped raise into a deep sleep, placing them deep in what remained of the Wood.  
  
Finally, Astarael cast her power into one of the staffs and gave one staff to each woman. After, Astarael was never seen again. Some say that she went on to destroy the humans that had killed her sisters. Others say, that without her power she retreated to another world to live peacefully. And still others say that her spirit crossed into the Ninth Precinct and her body lies somewhere deep below the old Woods....  
  
  
  
  
And so the story begins. Of two women of Old, never meant to escape the destruction of the First Race. How they awoke in a place new and dangerous to them, found by five of the most unlikely people. A tale of the search for the only mothers they ever knew...and how the power of their twin staffs, alike and yet so unlike, would change the course of a war that threatened to destroy the only home they remember.  
  
  
  
  
R/R. LoNe StAr in an OcEaN SkY 


	2. Chapter 1: The Awakening

Life and Death  
Chapter 1: The Awakening  
  
  
  
"And they were laid to rest on the Earth.  
In the once great Wood they slept  
Until the trees of time grew and died,   
And the First Race was long forgotten...."  
  
  
  
  
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"I don't like the idea of leaving him here, you know?"  
  
"Well, we can't help that Duo. Where else can we keep them without them being seen?" Quatre said, squinting in the sun as he stared up at his Gundam.  
  
"Yeah...I know."  
  
"Hey, are you guys done?"  
  
"Yeah! We're finished."  
  
Trowa made his way over to where Duo and Quatre's gundams were. "You two did a good job. Even from this close I would hardly guess that there are gundams here."  
  
The three young men made their way through the woods to where Heero and Wufei's gundams were. The heat of the noon sun soon took its toll and even with their training, they three were sweating by the time they reached their destination.  
  
"Man, these trees are grown so close together. I walk two feet and I fall." Duo said laughing.  
  
Quatre smiled and used a tree branch to jump over a large root.  
  
"Heero! Wufei! We're finished!"  
  
Heero nodded to them and finished covering his gundam. Wufei walked out of the woods, carrying five bottles of water. He handed one to each of the pilots, throwing Heero's up for him to catch.  
  
Quatre wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned against a tall, thick tree. He drank deeply and sighed, "How old did you say this forest was, Wufei?"  
  
"Hmm? What was that Winner?"  
  
"I'm sorry...it's just that...every time I touch something in this forest, I feel something in my heart...Even this water...it's so...I don't know...It tastes so different."  
  
"If you don't want it I'll take it." Duo said, jumping up and grabbing Quatre's bottle from him and running.  
  
"Hey Duo! Give that back." Quatre yelled, running after Duo. Trowa smiled and Wufei rolled his eyes as Quatre and Duo struggled over the water only to drop it and pour it all over the ground at Heero's feet.  
  
Heero glared at the two and took a deep drink of his water.  
  
Duo scrambled to his feet and danced away, followed by Quatre.  
  
Wufei placed a hand on a tree, "This forest is very old...much older than you'd think. I've heard legends about this place...many people fear to come here."  
  
"Then why are we here." Duo asked, pulling at his braid.  
  
"Because it's a place where no one would look for us." Heero supplied. "We need more water before it gets dark."  
  
Wufei got up to go, grabbing the water bottles.   
  
"Wait! I want to come with you, Wufei." Quatre said, joining him.  
  
"If you can keep up Winner." Wufei said, smirking and took off into the woods, Quatre on his heels.  
  
  
  
  
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Quatre dipped the bottle in the clear pool of water. The sun was setting and its colors were reflected in the water like a mirror. He stared at the ripples in the pool, feeling his eyes droop, "What's wrong with me." Quatre asked himself, rubbing at his eyes. He dipped his hand into the water and splashed his face a few times.  
  
"Hey Winner, hurry up!"  
  
Quatre sighed and started to turn around when something dropped into the water.   
  
"Hmm?"  
  
Quatre started at the sound of giggles. "Wufei..."  
  
Wufei walked over to Quatre, carrying a bag of berries, "What's the matter now?"  
  
"Umm....nothing...never mind, lets go, ok?"  
  
Wufei gave him a strange look and started walking; they wound around trees and through bushes as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky. 'That's funny...it's seems to be taking longer to get back...'  
  
"Wufei, are you sure you know where your going?"  
  
"Oh course, Winner, don't bother me I' know exactly where I'm goAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"  
  
Quatre gasped, "WUFAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"  
  
  
  
  
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"Ohh....my head...." Quatre sat up slowly and looked up through the hole in the ground that they had fallen through. It was completely dark up there...but down here....there were small lamps attached to every tree. It was like they had fallen down to another part of the earth. It was like the entire forest down here had been planted over.   
  
"Uggh...Winner?" Wufei, ran a hand through his hair and quickly tied it back up again. "Where in the world are we?"  
  
"It's like a whole other world down here." Quatre breathed.  
  
The air was soft and damp and the very atmosphere was old and slightly cryptic. Wufei pulled Quatre to his feet, both brushing twigs and grass from their shirts and pants.  
  
"What should we do now, Wufei?"  
  
"How the hell should I know? We can't go back the way we came."  
  
"to go forwards....you must....go back...."  
  
"...Did...did you hear that?" Quatre's eyes widened in fear...he could feel something here...something old...something powerful...."  
  
"to go forwards....you must go back....to get out...you must go forwards....to go forwards .....you must go back...."   
  
Wufei gasped as a tremendous gust of wind tore through the air. Wufei heard Quatre yelling and felt himself being shoved forward....pulled...  
  
"TO GO FORWARDS YOU MUST GO BACK!"   
  
  
  
  
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"Sleep sleep sleep sleep,   
Forwards in the land of dreams.  
Sleep sleep sleep sleep,   
Nothing is quite as it seems.  
Sleep sleep sleep sleep,  
Wake not till thy friends return  
Sleep sleep sleep sleep,   
In the Wood thou soon shalt learn..."  
  
  
  
  
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Wufei struggled...something was holding him down....they had been thrown forward...deep into the lower woods until they had stopped. Something was holding his shirt...it was cutting him. Wufei opened his eyes and saw that a thorn was holding his shirt. He had stumbled into a large thorn bush. So large in fact that it spanned many feet across.   
  
"Quatre?! Quatre?!?!?"  
  
"I'm...I'm over here Wufei..." Quatre stood, staring at the bush...his shirt was tattered and his hair was tousled.  
  
Wufei walked over to him, "What's wrong...what do you see?"  
  
"Can't...can't you feel it. There's something in this thorn bush...deep inside. It's been growing for years." Slowly Quatre reached for the plant. Wufei gasped as the thorn pulled away and receded, moving away and leaving a large opening the size of a small clearing. (AN: That's one big thorn bush..... 


	3. Chapter 1: The Awakening (Part 2)

"Oh my...." Quatre breathed, blushing furiously.  
  
Wufei breathed and tried to look away but it was impossible. There, lying in the center of the space the thorns had left were two young females. Completely unclothed except for many rose petals that covered their chests and lower bodies. The one on the right was pale skinned, the roses shocking against her pallid skin. Her short, silver hair looked almost blue and was arranged under her carefully. In her right hand she held an obsidian-colored staff (An: The size of Pluto's Garnet Staff) and atop it was something that caught Quatre's eye.  
  
"The symbol of death..." He whispered. (An: If you want to know what it looks like here's a link http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/03/0315.html)  
  
In the girls left hand she held a small dagger that had jade stones engraved in its hilt.  
  
The woman on the left had slightly darker skin. Her long, blonde hair was silver in the lamp light of the trees around them. It was arrayed around her still form. In her right hand she held a staff identical to that of the other woman, except in color and the symbol upon the top. The staff was made out of beautiful blue topaz.  
  
(AN: Picture link: www.worldwidegemstones.net go to search and don't change any of the search material and then go to the page that shows results 101-125)  
  
Atop the staff was the symbol of life and change. (AN: Picture link: http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/36/369.html) In her right hand she held a long bow and a quiver of arrows lay at her head. Both women had pointed ears.   
  
Wufei shuddered, "This place...I don't understand."  
  
Quatre grabbed Wufei's arm and pulled him through the growth to where the women lay. He blushed furiously and leaned over them to see if they were ok.  
  
"They're alive...but....sleeping."  
  
"Sleeping?" Wufei said astonished.  
  
"Yeah...I know..."  
  
"You have gone forwards....you have gone back....only those who have courage to stop that which can never end...to face that which will never die...and love that which can only be destroyed may wake them."  
  
Quatre and Wufei started at the soft, silvery voice. Wufei walked over to the girl on the left, and Quatre continued to stare at the girl on the right. Simultaneously they touched each woman's face.  
  
  
  
  
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The hot blinding light finally dissipated and Wufei found himself staring into wide blue eyes. Her eyes were filled with fear and she shot up, whipping her staff in the air.  
  
"Whoa! Calm down you stupid onna! What the hell are you doing?!" Wufei yelled as he dodged the girl's swipes.  
  
"KITO WA! ME TAEKASHYENA MA OURNAS SHETYAMA REOUTRAYES!" She screamed, breathing haggardly, squinting in the lamplight.   
  
She sat hunched on the ground, using her arms to cover her self. Wufei tried to walk towards her but every time he took a step she would move back and whip her staff at him.  
  
'Stupid onna. Who the hell is she? And where is Quatre and that other woman?"  
  
Wufei started at a noise from the woods behind the girl. Wufei sighed in relief as Quatre emerged from the trees, followed by the other woman, who was wearing a gray cloak.  
  
"Setrabawa, nagokitayna meotirebana. How now, sister? Stay thy hand. They are not enemies." The silver-blue haired woman walked over to the girl and wrapped another clock around her.  
  
Quatre walked over to Wufei, "Are you ok?"  
  
Wufei looked dazed, "I've fallen, been shoved, been blinded and almost blown away, been nearly knock out by a stupid onna in no clothes and you're asking me whether I'm ok or not!? DO I LOOK OK TO YOU?!"  
  
Quatre smiled, embarrassed, "Sorry..."  
  
"Who are they?" Wufei asked.  
  
"That is a question I would ask of you as well." The blonde-haired girl said. She looked less afraid in her sister's arms. " I would think that you would know us, but seeing as you don't seem to be of our kind I am Selenariel Qannar of the Wood and this is my sister, Amiriyanna Vinaya, also of the Wood."  
  
"That's a mouthful." Quatre said, smiling.  
  
"You have no idea. But, you may call me Ami." The silver-blue haired woman said.  
  
"And I shall consent to Selene."  
  
"Thank you" Quatre said, "I am Quatre Winner and this is my comrade Chang Wufei."  
  
Wufei nodded curtly.  
  
Ami smiled at Quatre, "Thank you for waking us up, Quatre, Wufei." She nodded to each as she spoke. "Please forgive my sister, she often acts before thinking."  
  
Selene glared, "I was frightened, I didn't know who they were!"  
  
"You're welcome for waking you but I'm afraid we don't know how to get back to our camp and we really have to go."  
  
Ami nodded to her sister. "Come forward. We will help you." Ami picked up Selene's quiver and handed them to Selene, who slung it across her back. Ami then took Quatre's hand and Selene took Ami's and Wufei's hands. "Now," Ami said, "concentrate on your destination and we will use our power to bring us all there."  
  
Wufei and Quatre shut their eyes reluctantly and concentrated, feeling soothed by the whisperings of the two girls.  
  
"Kirabay...alotashay...meramina...aratonay..."  
  
  
  
  
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Quatre took small shuddering breath and opened his eyes, "Oh...we're...we're back!"  
  
Wufei immediately let go of Selene's hand, mumbling about the terrible life he lived. Wufei walked over to Duo and shook him, "Hey, baka, wake up we're back...Hey...Duo...wake up...Duo?"  
  
"Heero...Trowa?" Quatre whispered, shaking each one in turn, "Why won't they wake up?" Quatre said, turning to Selene and Ami.  
  
"Ranna faeries..." Ami said, laughing.  
  
"What?" Wufei and Quatre asked at the same time.  
  
"They're creations of Ranna; Wood faeries that are given some of Ranna's powers so that they can help those that get no peace. Ranna can't be everywhere at once you know. Your friends were probably worried about you so they cast a spell on them so they could sleep." Selene said in a tone that made Quatre and Wufei feel as though they should have known that.  
  
Ami held out her staff and it glowed a soft indigo color, "I hope there are no Dead around" She whispered. "I call upon the powers of Moserael, The Waker! I implore thee by the powers that Astarael, The Sorrowful gave, wake those that have been put to sleep by the power of Ranna, the Waker!"  
  
Ami's staff glowed brightly and the sound of a bell was heard, it's ring cast waves of power around the camp, and slowly Heero, Trowa, and Duo were released from the spell.  
  
Ami breathed slowly and lowered her staff. She stared at Selene, her eyes filling with tears.  
  
  
  
  
What do you think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE R/R! Oh, don't go looking around for any translation because the words that Ami and Selene speak are simply words I just MADE UP! YEP! THAT'S RIGHT! It's just a "language" of the First Race. Sorry, but you can probably guess what Selene and Ami are thinking when they speak what they speak.  
  
LoNe StAr in an OcEaN SkY 


End file.
